On the 3rd day of July 2018, the 15 member US Senate Intelligence Committee comprised of 8 republicans and 7 democrats issued a bipartisan report , unanimously confirming the US IC community’s conclusions that Russia at the direction of its President Vladimir Putin, did indeed meddle extensively in the 2016 US elections. In addition the Senators’ work product verified that Russia’s interference was designed to help Donald Trump win the presidency.

The report does reference the Christopher Steele 35 page dossierdocument, only to state that it did not inform the intelligence community’s assessment “in any way,”

This report was publicly released late on a day before a major US holiday, the 4th of July’s US Independence Day, to lessen its news worthy impact as it is counter to the republican President Donald Trump’s assertions that he’s still not convinced that Russia interfered with the 2016 US elections and it out-rightly repudiates the US House Intel report.

As per a 7/3/18 Hill report by Katie Bo Williams, “All in all, the Senate panel’s report was a unflinching contradiction of many of the core claims made by Trump allies in the House. ”

“The House Intelligence Committee in March released their report into 2016 election meddling, finding that the small group of intelligence officials who made the assessment in January 2017 did not meet the appropriate evidentiary standard to make that judgment with such certainty.”

“The House committee declined to make an assessment about whether the intelligence community’s underlying claim — that Putin developed a clear preference for Trump — was correct, one of the GOP members leading that probe said at the time. What the panel has taken issue with, according to Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), is “how they came to it and the underlying documents they used.”

Here’s the rest of the story…

On July 3, 2018, Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post penned the following report, “Senate report affirms intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia favored Trump over Clinton”

“A Senate panel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election released Tuesday (7/3/18) a written summary of its determination that the U.S. intelligence community correctly concluded Moscow sought to help Donald Trump win.”

“The Senate Intelligence Committee’s report affirms conclusions that its members first announced in May. It stands in sharp contrast with a parallel investigation by the House Intelligence Committee, whose Republican members questioned the intelligence community’s tradecraft in concluding the Kremlin aimed to help Trump.”

“The Senate panel called the overall assessment a “sound intelligence product,” saying evidence presented by the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency supported their collective conclusion that the Russian government had “developed a clear preference for Trump” over his opponent in the race, Hillary Clinton. Where the agencies disagreed, the Senate panel found those differences were “reasonable.”

“The intelligence community determinedthat the Kremlin intended to “denigrate” and “harm” Clinton, and “undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process” while helping Trump. The committee’s report backs that conclusion. It also supports the agencies’ findings about Russia’s tactics, which included cyberattacks and intelligence collection “against the U.S. primary campaigns, think tanks, and lobbying groups they viewed as likely to shape future U.S. policies.”

“The Senate panel’s assessment isn’t all glowing: The committee found the agencies’ assessment of Russia’s propaganda operation was outdated, relying on data from 2012 — something the Senate panel called a “shortcoming.” Senators also criticized the intelligence community’s report for not providing more comprehensive historical context, to put Russia’s 2016 operation into better perspective.”

“But the panel stressed that intelligence analysts were under “no politically motivated pressure to reach any conclusions,” and that their conclusions had been prescient as well as accurate, noting that “the Committee’s investigation has exposed a far more extensive Russian effort to manipulate social media outlets to sow discord and to interfere in the 2016 election and American society” than the officials who drafted the assessment realized at the time they were writing it.”

“This report is the second of several that are expected from the committee as it completes its probe of Russia’s activities during the 2016 election. The panel has already released similar findings and recommendations for ensuring better election security; it is also expected to release an assessment of the Obama administration’s conduct related to the Russian threat and another document examining the role social media played in Russia’s influence operations.”

“A final report is expected to address, among other things, questions of whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. The president has vehemently denied those allegations.”

“The committee’s report indicates lawmakers also intend to address questions about an explosive “dossier” of allegations about Trump’s alleged Russia ties. The document, which was compiled by a British ex-spy, did not inform the intelligence community’s assessment “in any way,” the Senate committee found.”

The administration hasn’t realised whatever they say, the notion of Russian Interference is ‘Out There’ and in consequence many folk will not believe otherwise.
The damage is done. Wiser heads would try and find a way to move the subject out of the news. In this case fortunately for the people of the USA there are no Wise Heads in this administration.
Best wishes for 4th July Gronda

Thanks for your good wishes for a great 4th of July the US Independence Day.

We here in this side of the pond are relieved to learn that there are a few republicans in the US Senate as part of the US Congress who actually did work on a bipartisan professional manner without a lot of fanfare but produced a work product where the truth prevailed and which was willing to speak truth to power. It backed our US intelligence community agencies and the “rule of law.”

This report from our upper house of the US Congress completely repudiated the report issued by the lower house which was a white washed report meant to provide cover for President Trump. It also repudiated many of their conspiracy type theories.

Frankly, I am smiling today with a lot of others that a part of the US Congress actually performed their jobs in a competent manner.

President Trump can no longer pretend so easily that Russia didn’t really interfere in the 2016 US elections.

At last, something of intelligence has come out of Washington. I’m too bitter to call it a ray of hope or a light at the end of the tunnel, but like, Ravenhawks magazine, it has made me smile.
Thank you Gronda,

It is somewhat of a relief to know that a few republican senators in the US Congress were willing to put truth and the well being of this USA before party loyalty to produce a bipartisan report where the findings upholds the “rule of law” and is supportive of US intelligence agencies.

I too am smiling today even though I worry about the president’s reaction.

Gronda, unlike the House committee which is hyper-politucized, the Senate treated this issue with seriousness of purpose and had a bipartisan effort to get to the treat. What Nunes has done is unethical and he has been chastised more than once. Senator Burr even met with the Speaker of the House to share his concern over Nunes. Keith

I remember that unusual meeting that was held with the US Senate Intelligence Committee leaders, the republican Chair Richard Burr NC and the democratic Co-Chair Mark Warner with the US House Speaker Paul Ryan. The senators were upset that House Intelligence Committee Republican members leaked a batch of Warner’s text messages to Fox News in February, soon after the House panel obtained transcripts of the texts.

Speaker Paul Ryan didn’t do much to reign in the House Intel Chair Devin Nunes as his team released that white washed report.

It does make me feel better that the US Senate Intelligence Committee’s report thrashes the House’s report and that the republican members were willing to speak truth to power..